"Beautifully said… I never expected even a young man to have such courage and such a clear sense of righteousness. It really puts us to shame!"
"Lord Aizen, the name of my Zanpakuto is..."
Under normal circumstances, this kind of polite talk would probably leave people at a loss for words. But right now, everyone present had just gone through a brutal battle.
They were exhausted in both body and mind, and seeing someone be this open and sincere at such a moment, on top of the fact that Iori had earlier risked his life to cover the retreat, and had even saved Tenbei Shusuke at the cost of his own life… who wouldn't praise that?
Even the well-traveled Saito Immortal couldn't help but give Iori a thumbs-up.
Facing the tide of praise, Iori modestly lowered his head in acknowledgment, then sat down beside Tenbei.
His [Clear Mirror, Still Water] hung at his waist. But unlike ordinary Zanpakuto, even when its name was called, it remained in its Shikai state instead of reverting to an asauchi.
No one really minded, and no one questioned it.
They had all heard from Tenbei that Iori had comprehended Shikai in a moment of desperation while trying to save him.
Perhaps forcefully calling its name had some hidden drawback, causing Iori's Shikai to malfunction and making it impossible to revert to the asauchi state, or perhaps it had simply become a constantly released type of Zanpakuto.
There was nothing strange about that. Soul Society had plenty of weird Zanpakutos, and cases where Shikai or Bankai had issues were countless.
Not being able to revert Shikai was nothing. Some people's Bankai became permanent the moment they were released, and others used Bankai for decades without ever realizing there was a second stage.
In short, Soul Society has a long history, and every kind of oddity has appeared before. There's no need to be shocked over every little thing.
The main focus of this military meeting wasn't Iori. His performance had indeed been outstanding, but the greatest achievement belonged to Saito Immortal, who had single-handedly fought three Adjuchas in the great battle, successfully killing one and driving off the other two.
After all, this was a supernatural world. Top-tier combat power could decide the entire battlefield. It was precisely because Saito emerged victorious that the Shinigami side managed to survive this Hollow tide.
"Captain, your injuries aren't serious, right?" one of the Four Heavenly Kings asked with concern.
Saito nodded casually, then picked up the cup of alcohol beside her and drank half of it in one go.
"Glug… It's fine. Those three Adjuchas were just flashy on the surface, not that hard to deal with. If their abilities hadn't been a bit strange, I would've taken them down without a scratch!"
Seeing that she still had the mood to drink and brag, everyone finally relaxed.
Mid-level Menos like Adjuchas theoretically possessed captain-level spiritual pressure. But just as captains themselves varied greatly in strength, the same was true for Adjuchas, their power levels could be worlds apart, to the point they didn't even feel like the same class.
The Adjuchas that attacked the camp this time only had decent spiritual pressure. Their combat technique was mediocre, posing no real threat to Saito… but there was something she kept to herself, not telling the Four Heavenly Kings.
She suspected that a stronger Hollow was pulling the strings behind this attack, because from those three Adjuchas she had sensed something extremely strange, like they had been forcibly ripened.
But saying this out loud would have been too unsettling. A Hollow capable of freely manipulating Adjuchas might very well be the highest-tier kind, Vasto Lorde.
That kind of monster required multiple captains working together to take down. The expeditionary force alone would never be enough.
Saito had deliberately taken some damage, showing weakness to the enemy, to see whether there really was a higher-level Hollow lurking behind the scenes.
However, until the end of the battle, nothing unusual happened, which left her feeling uncertain.
At this moment, Saito recalled an old rumor she had heard long ago. It was said that Soul Society once encountered an unbeatable Hollow, one that even Yamamoto himself was defeated by, and in the end, it was a major figure from Squad Zero who stepped in to resolve it.
And in the years since the Gotei Thirteen were established, although there hadn't been large-scale wars with Hueco Mundo, there had been plenty of conflicts… One generation's Kenpachi had once suspected that perhaps Hueco Mundo had a place like Seireitei as well, maybe even a "king."
"Deep within Hueco Mundo… there may be things we still don't understand."
The Four Heavenly Kings exchanged glances, not understanding why Saito suddenly voiced such a thought. Only Iori silently agreed in his heart.
Hueco Mundo certainly hid many powerful Hollows, including quite a few Vasto Lorde, but Captain Saito was worrying too much.
After all, in the Bleach worldview, humans, Shinigami, and Quincy are all children of the Soul King. Only Hollows are the ones that were picked up.
Among the different power systems, the Menos line has the worst treatment. The peak forces of Shinigami and Quincy can suppress them completely.
Two hundred years later, there's even going to be a dark history where the "Queen of Hueco Mundo" gets tied up and played with… so there's really no need to worry about Hueco Mundo rebelling~
"Oh, right. To commend Aizen Iori for his achievements this time, stay behind after the meeting. You probably still have questions about how to communicate with your Zanpakuto. I can teach you."
Saito casually switched topics. "I heard you know a bit of healing Kido? Perfect timing, you can also help me change my bandages and stuff."
"Huh?" Iori looked her up and down and hesitated. "Is that really appropriate?"
"What's inappropriate about it? There are so many wounded right now, medical care should go to the severely injured first. For a minor injury like mine, letting you, a half-trained healer, handle it is good enough." Saito spoke boldly, with none of the coyness expected of a woman.
Iori smiled awkwardly.
'Getting dragged into rumors over a flat board really isn't worth it… If only you had a bit more ambition, if you were at least Rin Tohsaka-level, I'd grit my teeth and accept it.'
'But with a figure even flatter than Railgun's Misaka voiced by Kugimiya… sigh. Who told you that rank alone can crush people? I'll just have to suffer for now!'
———
After the Hollow tide, the camp enjoyed a long stretch of calm days. Iori split his time between helping out in the infirmary and learning basic knowledge and Flash Step techniques from Saito. Life was quite fulfilling.
He also didn't forget about the Akame ga Kill world. Using Hueco Mundo's special environment, he usually only needed half a day to "recharge," so his trips between worlds became more frequent.
However, as the name "Martial Venerable" spread across the Far Eastern island nation, his reputation seemed to have reached a temporary peak. Further improvement would require time and accumulation, which left Iori a little regretful.
These endlessly refreshable art-style CGs clearly opened up a new path for him. In the future, if similar CGs appeared, he could follow this example and keep farming them… but achieving this level of efficiency wouldn't be easy.
Because Iori's success in the Far East came with prerequisites.
First, the region was divided among many powers and plagued by frequent disasters. The people desperately longed for a hero, and Iori happened to fit that need.
Second, the Far East's overall combat power was low. Iori there was like an old ancestor dominating an entire fantasy novel era. After slaying the Azure Dragon, clearing the whole map was practically effortless.
In other places, assembling such conditions wouldn't be easy.
Soul Society?
Not to mention how many hidden dragons and crouching tigers there were, at Iori's current level, he couldn't stir up much trouble.
And just trying to become "a hero of the people" would already make Central 46 suspect him of planning a Rukongai rebellion…
Thankfully, while Bleach wouldn't work, Akame ga Kill still had room to try.
On the mainland across the sea from the Far East, a thousand-year empire had already rotted away. The people living in darkness all longed to be saved, this was practically a gift from heaven for Iori.
Just thinking about it stirred his sense of justice. He nearly wanted to "trample the bones of nobles across the heavenly streets" on the spot… but he also knew he couldn't act rashly.
The Empire was far stronger than the Far East. Not to mention that reckless action might just let the Revolutionary Army steal the credit, the final boss, the Ice Queen Esdeath, was truly terrifying.
She wasn't on the same level as other Teigu users at all, but a rule-breaking powerhouse that made you wonder if she'd wandered in from another genre.
Fortunately, she was still flesh and blood. Her martial prowess was extraordinary, but that was all, she still belonged to the category of "people die when they are killed." Otherwise, with that kind of presence and setting, even Iori would feel uneasy~
Iori had always been a man of action. Once he decided, he acted immediately. He packed up and transferred from the Far East to the mainland at once, this was when the convenience of [Shambhala] truly showed.
Once the Imperial Arms was activated and the Taiji Bagua–shaped magic array unfolded, crossing thousands upon thousands of miles took only a blink of an eye… An Imperial Arms like this should never be used by a single person. Pairing it with an elite small unit for decapitation strikes would be the optimal solution!
In a sense, it was absolutely a strategic weapon.
After returning, Iori moved around for a few days. Soon, under the identity of "Faceless," he reconnected with the Revolutionary Army. Two days later, the one-armed, one-eyed female general Najenda came to him and once again extended an invitation to cooperate.
Naturally, Iori was happy to accept. "Still working with that disguise-using assassin, Chelsea?"
"No. This time, you'll be working with my team."
Najenda smiled faintly, full of spirit. "I was ordered to infiltrate the Imperial Capital to gather intelligence, and I've formed a secret unit to carry out assassination missions… your old acquaintance Akame, and her sister Kurome, are both part of it."
"Heh~"
Iori naturally understood why Najenda mentioned Akame on purpose, but he didn't take the bait. Instead, he asked, "Does this secret unit have a code name?"
"Of course!"
Najenda said proudly, "We are called 'Night Raid'!"
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[CG Registered]
[Akame ga Kill!]
[Category: Story CG]
[Level: —]
[Quality: —]
———
[Reward List]
[Dimensional Gate: Type-Moon Worldview]
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"Hmm?!"
Iori's eyes flew open, his gaze turning sharp and intense, startling Najenda across from him.
"…What's wrong with you?"
"It's nothing. I just remembered some trivial things." Iori regained his composure on the surface, but inside, waves were crashing.
'Type-Moon… a new story CG, and the pull was actually Type-Moon!'
That place was completely different from Akame ga Kill. Spiritual bodies weren't restricted there. There were even special spiritual entities like Servants. Now even soul materialization technology had a solution.
Getting a story CG for the second time naturally made Iori excited. The Akame ga Kill world did have some potential to dig into, but it wasn't suitable for someone like Iori whose activities relied on a spiritual body, and its power system was far too simplistic.
Just physical skills plus Imperial Arms.
And Imperial Arms were essentially abilities of super-dangerous beasts turned into tools. A genius like the Queen might surpass the original, but the ceiling was right there, making breakthroughs extremely difficult.
In comparison, the Type-Moon series contained many parallel worlds and had an extremely complete, one might even say bloated and complicated, setting.
There was more than one power system, and for someone familiar with the plot, there were many things to take advantage of.
In addition, spiritual entities were very common in Type-Moon. Free-floating energy wasn't nearly as scarce as in Akame ga Kill.
Yes, it perfectly fit his current needs.
There was just one thing to watch out for.
[The Counter Force]
One of the foundational settings of the Type-Moon world. It's similar to the Heavenly Dao in cultivation novels. It never shows itself, but it observes everything, and when necessary, intervenes to ensure that "the development of the world" doesn't stray from its predetermined course.
However, according to the original works, as long as events don't affect the flow of history, the Counter Force generally doesn't interfere.
Iori wasn't some demon king trying to destroy the world. He just wanted to farm CGs and learn a few things along the way.
Being somewhat familiar with the Type-Moon background, he had no intention of touching the Counter Force's sensitive points. After thinking it through, as long as he was careful, there shouldn't be a problem.
"It's just a matter of which world I'll end up in…"
After verbally agreeing with Najenda, Iori returned to the inn where he was staying and thought things over quietly.
The Type-Moon universe was massive, and the differences between parallel worlds were very obvious. There was Tsukihime, where Dead Apostles ran rampant; Fate, where Heroic Spirits descended; the highly philosophical The Garden of Sinners; and more niche works like Witch on the Holy Night, Notes (Land of Steel), and DDD.
Landing in Garden of Sinners or Tsukihime would be fine, but if it was Land of Steel… well, who knows whether a spiritual body like his could even survive in an "Age of the End of Law"?
Maybe he should test it first and see where it actually led.
Iori carefully checked his condition. After confirming his spiritual pressure was sufficient, he used [Shambhala] to move to a safe house, stored away unnecessary items, and kept only the Ame-no-Murakumo Sword with him.
'Most Type-Moon works have fantasy elements. They shouldn't lack free energy like mana or spirit particles. With my strength, as long as the situation isn't too extreme, holding the gate open for ten seconds should be doable, right?'
'Worst case, I'll talk my way through it. Type-Moon bosses fall for that!'
Having made up his mind, Iori treated this as a firepower reconnaissance mission. He'd check what was on the other side first, and retreat immediately if anything felt wrong.
"Should I say something at a moment like this? Alright then… Link Start!"
———
Hmmm~
Brilliant, multicolored motes of light lit up. Inside a Japanese-style room with tatami mats and a low heated table, Iori's figure slowly condensed from the spiritual glow.
When the sensation of stepping on solid ground reached his feet, Iori instinctively tightened his grip on the sword hilt, gathering spiritual pressure in preparation for any possible threat.
In the end, the imagined extreme situation didn't appear. Instead, Iori noticed that his "body" seemed to have changed a bit… though he couldn't quite describe how.
In Type-Moon, the concept of "mana" was very broad. Life force generated by the body could be converted into mana, but so could the soul. Even Servants' bodies were composed of mana, just with differences in purity and nature.
Could it be that the cross-world universal effect of "art style value" automatically converted his Shinigami body into this world's spiritual form? Was he now using mana?
So did that make him a Servant, a phantom spirit, or just a plain ghost?
'Come to think of it, Akame ga Kill never had this kind of change. Is it because that world doesn't have a mature energy system after all…?'
Before Iori could think deeper, points of light in various colors lit up in the empty space nearby. As countless particles gathered, one figure after another appeared in the small Japanese room.
Seeing this, Iori immediately tensed up, but he suppressed his impatience and didn't act rashly.
That choice proved correct. After appearing, those people didn't pay special attention to Iori. They simply glanced around, then casually found places to stand or sit.
"Oh my, quite a crowd this time. Looks like our 'former master' is feeling lonely~"
An elderly gentleman dressed in a British style joked with a smile. He glanced at Iori but didn't say anything, as if unfamiliar faces appearing in this room was perfectly normal.
They seemed to have taken Iori for a Servant who had also been summoned.
Yes. Every single one of these people was a Servant.
As a long-suffering gacha loser, Iori could even name them one by one.
The more he looked around, the more alarmed he became. What kind of place was this? It looked like an ordinary room, so why were there so many Heroic Spirits?
A Holy Grail War? He'd never seen this kind of scene before!
Just as Iori was sitting on pins and needles, a familiar, light and airy voice drifted in from outside.